


Out in the Open

by LSims



Category: Bandstand - Oberacker/Oberacker & Taylor
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Julia is a good woman who loves everyone no matter what
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:34:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23899087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LSims/pseuds/LSims
Summary: Jimmy comes out to Julia while studying at her apartment.
Relationships: Jimmy Campbell & Julia Trojan
Comments: 4
Kudos: 28





	Out in the Open

Jimmy knew it was odd that his favorite place to study was his old-friend’s-widow’s mom’s apartment. It was odd to him too. But it was the only place that actually worked.

His own apartment was too loud, with its thumps and blastings of radios and the screams from his neighbor’s wife during their nightly fights that reminded too much of that day on  _ The Reid _ . And the library was too quiet, too easy to get lost in. But June Adam’s apartment is perfect. The squeal of the coffee pot is expected. The whirl of the sewing machine is calming. She’ll even play show tunes in the background if he requests it. 

He flips to the final page of the textbook, pausing to give Julia a small smile as she hands him a third cup of coffee. His eyes return to the page, ingraining it in his memory.

“Done,” Jimmy announces, closing the textbook with a gentle thud.

“Good, I was afraid you were to keep reading all night.” 

He raises an eyebrow. “Is something wrong with studying?” 

Julia smiles. “No, I just didn’t want you to get lost in it, that’s all.”

He returns it, slightly. “Well, I’m passionate.”

She sits next to him and gives Jimmy a curious look. “Why are you, if you don’t mind me asking? So dedicated to being a lawyer, I mean.”

Jimmy winces. He wants to tell Julia. He thinks of her sister. He  _ wants _ to trust her. But the Cross on the wall and the Bible on the coffee table says otherwise.

“I...am a lawyer because the law isn’t always on the side of people like me.”

Julia smiles sadly. “Yes, it is unfortunate that the men who fought for it aren’t always supported by their country, as we all know from the preliminary. Things are getting better, though. The GI Bill was a  _ huge  _ step for you guys.”

“Yeah, it was.” Jimmy agrees. Part of him wants to let Julia believe that, and she’s not wrong, but he has this  _ yearning _ to let  _ someone _ ,—a person who’s Donny, oblivious and awkward as he is—know.

So he adds “That’s not  _ all _ of it, though?”

“Oh?” Julia looks at Jimmy curiously, pondering his statement for what seems like hours before she lets out a small “Oh.”

She looks at him and suddenly wraps her arms around him tightly. “Gosh, I’m so sorry, Jimmy.”

He sighs. “It’s fine. You don’t have to apologize, not many people know, for obvious reasons.”

She still doesn’t let him go. “This doesn’t change anything, you know. I like you just the same, Jimmy.” 

He blinks back tears and embraces her back. “Thank you.”

Finally, they pull apart. An awkward silence falls as Jimmy puts his book in his bag and shoulders it. “Well, I should probably get going, it’s late.”

“Wait.”

He looks down at Julia, who’s taken his hand.

“I just want you to know that you’ll be an  _ incredible  _ lawyer Jimmy, and I have no reason to doubt that you’ll go down in the history books as not  _ just  _ the famed sax player of  _ The Donny Nova Band _ , but as a history-making proponent of civil rights as well.”

Jimmy drops his bag and hugs her. The only other person who’s said something that touched him so deep was Aaron. “Thank you.” He breathes into her.

“You’re welcome, it’s true.”

He finally releases her and shoulders his bag once more, bidding Julia goodbye. This whole band thing is actually working out pretty okay after all. 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope y'all enjoyed it.


End file.
